Steve Jobs introduced the world to its revolutionary iPhone device ten years ago today.
At Macworld 2007 in San Francisco, he described the handset as three products in one – “a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough internet communications device.”
In the ten years since it was launched, Apple has sold over one billion units worldwide, quickly growing into a revolutionary platform for hardware, software and services integration, and inspired new products, including iPad and Apple Watch, along with millions of apps that have become part of people’s daily lives.
“iPhone is an essential part of our customers’ lives, and today more than ever it is redefining the way we communicate, entertain, work and live,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
“iPhone set the standard for mobile computing in its first decade and we are just getting started. The best is yet to come.”
The iPhone has pushed the boundaries of innovation since 2007.
“It is amazing that from the very first iPhone through to today’s newest iPhone 7 Plus, it has remained the gold standard by which all other smartphones are judged. For many of us, iPhone has become the most essential device in our lives and we love it,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
“iPhone is how we make voice and FaceTime calls, how we shoot and share Live Photos and 4K videos, how we listen to streaming music, how we use social media, how we play games, how we get directions and find new places, how we pay for things, how we surf the web, do email, manage our contacts and calendars, how we listen to podcasts, watch TV, movies and sports, and how we manage our fitness and health. iPhone has become all of these things and more. And I believe we are just getting started.”
With its latest models – iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus – Apple introduced a 12-megapixel lens, optical image stabilization, an f/1.8 aperture that captures 50 percent more light as well as wide colour capture, all allowing for more vibrant colours with more detail even in low light. The iPhone 7 Plus also offers a dual-lens camera with Portrait mode and up to 2X optical zoom.
The A10 Fusion chip is one of the most powerful chips ever in a smartphone, with processing performance 120 times faster and the graphics performance 240 times faster in iPhone 7 than the original iPhone.
Stereo speakers provide sound that is two times louder than iPhone 6s, with increased dynamic range of sound and a higher-quality speakerphone.
An entirely reengineered enclosure resulting in the first water-resistant iPhone that offers protection against spills, splashes and dust.
The brightest, most colourful Retina HD display ever in an iPhone, with a wide colour gamut for cinema-standard colours, greater colour saturation and the best colour management in the smartphone industry.
